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By Donald H. Harrison
 SAN DIEGO—What caused the cancellation of a planned September 13 Walk for Israel to which co-chairs Dan and Nina Brodsky had hoped to attract more than 5,000 flag-waving, sign-toting Jewish and Christian Zionists?
If you ask Dan Brodsky—and I did—it was timidity within the Jewish community. If you ask representatives of such organizations as the Anti-Defamation League, the United Jewish Federation, and Training and Education for the Middle East (T.E.A.M.) it was the feeling that the event had not been well enough organized and there was insufficient time to fill the gaps.
While everyone chose their on-the-record words carefully, not wanting to further exacerbate the tension that had developed among the organizers, it was clear that personality conflicts also entered into the equation.
Plans had called for the marchers to assemble that Sunday in the large parking lot of the County Administration Building, then cross Harbor Drive and walk along the Embarcadero to the G Street Mole just beyond the USS Midway museum, then turn around, re-cross Harbor Drive, and walk back to the County Administration Building. Brodsky estimated that the route would be an easy two-mile walk.
A police permit for the event was taken out in the name of the Center for Jewish Cultural Renaissance, the non-profit organization headed by Rabbi Arnold Kopikis.
Cancellation of the walk came after a meeting August 7th among Dan Brodsky, Rabbi Kopikis, Tibi Zohar of the Jewish-American Chamber of Commerce, Morris Casuto of the ADL, J.J. Surbeck of T.E.A.M., and Lisa Haney of the United Jewish Federation.
As Brodsky described the meeting, it was like a jury of 12 people, all seeming to be headed in one direction, when suddenly a juror raises a doubt, prompting another doubt, and then suddenly the jury is completely turned around. What once seemed a consensus in favor of the march was transformed during the meeting into a decision that it needed to either be postponed or changed to a rally.
Brodsky is the past local president of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. He said that with the support of the Los Angeles-based pro-Israel advocacy group, StandWithUs, and with Christians United for Israel (CUFI)—an organization sponsoring a separate dinner featuring radio commentator Dennis Prager on the evening of September 13—he had laid the groundwork for the march, and anticipated that numerous Jews and Christians would be demonstrating that Israel has widespread support among Americans
The questions that turned around the meeting, in the view of J.J. Surbeck—whose T.E.A.M. organization conducts classes in Israel advocacy and sends speakers to public meetings about Arab-Israeli relations—dealt with logistics, security, budget, public relations and other nuts-and-bolts issues. Given more time, none of the issues was insurmountable, Surbeck said, but there was insufficient time to get them resolved before Sept. 13.
“Nina and I have put on many events with Friends of IDF,” Brodsky told San Diego Jewish World. “StandWithUs was perfectly on board. They do this kind of thing day in and day out. They loved it.”
Yes, there could be risks, he said, “but there is a risk if anyone gets in a car or drives on a freeway. … If people stay at home, they’re safe” but they don’t get anything accomplished. If Zionists were afraid to take risks, he added, “there would be no Israel.
“I have had 60-70 emails and calls from people who are heart-sick over this, asking why was it cancelled; can’t we have it anyway?” Brodsky said.
Surbeck said that if Brodsky has anyone to blame, it should be himself for scheduling an event for the Jewish community without first getting all the necessary components of the community on board, and then together doing the detail-oriented planning that major events require.
He said that members of the planning committee had urged Brodsky to delay the march until perhaps Yom Ha’Atzma’ut (Israel Independence Day), April 20, to give the Jewish community sufficient time to make it a truly community-wide event, but he refused. Surbeck said timing the march to coincide with the Sept. 13 event sponsored by CUFI appeared to be an important consideration for Brodsky.
An alternative suggestion that the march be scaled back to a rally was similarly rejected by Brodsky. He told San Diego
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Jewish World that whereas few people, beyond those attending, would see a rally, a march would draw attention from many people.
Surbeck said at the August 7th meeting it had become apparent that Christian churches upon which Brodsky was counting to swell the ranks of the marchers had yet to commit, and that meanwhile various Reform Jewish congregations in the county were noticeable by their absence from materials promoting the march.
Rabbi Martin Lawson, spiritual leader of Temple Emanu-El and the senior Reform rabbi in San Diego County, could not be reached immediately for comment.
Security also was an issue. What would be the response, for example, if pro-Palestinian marchers decided to attempt to disrupt the march? Surbeck said that Brodsky did not appear to have a contingency plan.
“You have to be cautious,” said Surbeck. “If anything happened during the walk—a scuffle with the Palestinians, or a car accident – all of the cosponsors might potentially be liable.”
He said after realizing that Brodsky was unwilling to compromise, he decided to withdraw T.E.A.M. as a cosponsor. The ADL, Jewish American-Chamber of Commerce, and the Center for Jewish Cultural Renaissance and the United Jewish Federation followed suit.
In separate interviews, Casuto said he was not satisfied with the security arrangements—and also was concerned with the potential adverse effect the march might have on businesses along Harbor Drive. Kopikis said that it was not one, but many problems, with the planning that made him decide as the permit holder to withdraw as a sponsor from the event.
In announcing the cancellation of the event earlier this week, Brodsky said he had done so because the United Jewish Federation had pulled out as a sponsor. Surbeck said he, rather than UJF, had been Brodsky’s principal adversary in the August 7 meeting, and said Brodsky had been unfair to blame the UJF.
To the contrary, he said, Haney, UJF’s director of planning and allocations, initially had tried to mediate the dispute, even creating a flip chart on an easel to look at the pros and cons.
It all was an interesting introduction to San Diego for Steven J. Morris, the new chief executive officer of the United Jewish Federation. In a written statement co-authored with Andrea Oster, UJF’s board president, Morris said:
“There has been some concern about the recent joint decision to call off the September 13 Walk for Israel. While we realize many of you are disappointed, this difficult choice was made after careful deliberation with key members of the organizing committee who agreed that the infrastructure and logistics of the event were not sufficient to secure its success.
“Representatives from ADL San Diego, among others, supported this collaborative decision and confirmed that there was simply not enough time, talent or resources available for this level of activity. As a community leader, it was our responsibility to convene the experts and make a decision that ensured the safety and security of all involved.
“Special thanks to those who worked on the walk for their dedication to the State of Israel. It is our deepest hope that rather than being divisive, these events serve to strengthen our commitment to demonstrate our solidarity with Israel. We encourage all organizations that supported the event to work together with us and the Jewish community in planning a future event that enables our community to meaningfully express its support for Israel.”
“Personally and professionally, we remain steadfast, visible and passionate supporters of Israel. The UJF, through its Israel Center, is dedicated to strengthening the relationship between San Diego and Israel through advocacy, education and partnerships with Israel.”
While disagreeing with Brodsky on logistics, the committee members who were interviewed all praised him and his wife Nina for their proven commitment to Israel. They said they hoped he would participate in planning some other community-wide event
Brodsky’s initial reaction to that was “I’m not going to tackle it again.” Instead, he said, he will try to find himself a different pro-Israel project to throw himself into, and in the meantime, said he planned to attend the $18-per-ticket CUFI event at 7 p.m., September 13, at the Town & Country Hotel.
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